


If Dreams You Keep

by littlesolo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 20:22:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10543782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: Maria, Natasha, and Clint go to deal with an individual that controls dreams and nightmares.  Based loosely on Before I Wake.





	

It’s a person doing this, that’s all they know at the moment.  Someone controlling people’s nightmares.  Which is why the lab techs have outfitted them with wrist devices that will keep them awake.  

The Sky Devils drop Maria, Nat, and, Clint on the roof of the apartment building and then they’ll take it from there.  The STRIKE team has evacuated most of the tenants, they just have to find the one responsible for the what’s been going on. 

They’ve cleared the 24th floor and have just started the 23rd when it starts.  A blue butterfly.  A Blue Morpho butterfly that seems to be almost glowing as it sort of floats by.  Then there are leaves on the floor.  Autumn leaves, maple leaves, of bright reds and orange in color.  These are scattered down the hallway towards the an open door at the end.  It creates the feeling of peace.  Maria shakes her head clear of the false tranquil feeling.  

“I’m having the strongest feeling of deja vu right now…” whispers Natasha, and Clint nods.  

“Like that time in Philly” clarifies Clint with a look.  What Clint doesn’t say is that that job had seemed too off somehow and they’d bailed.  

“Simmons seems to think the individual attacks through dreams.  When he feels attacked he turns your dreams into a nightmare.  So be on your guard for tasers or gas.  Otherwise, the wrist device should keep us alert” explains Maria.  

As if sensing their presence, the leaves seem to glow brightly for a moment before dimming and scattering down the hall which now seems both longer and darker.  

“That can’t be good” mutters Natasha while Maria motions for them both to stay close.  

Maria has the lead and as they descend on the door she swears that for a moment she can almost smell the scent of the desert.  The door is already open a crack and she eases it the rest of the way with her left hand while keeping her gun ready.  There’s the distant sound of explosions and for a moment Maria wonders what they missed, but pushes it out of her mind, confident that the STRIKE team will handle it.  

She’s in the kitchen while Clint and Nat tackle the living room when suddenly the oven’s flames spark to life and are nearly reaching the ceiling.  Maria blocks the flames from her face with her free hand and calls out warning to the others.  They call something back but suddenly sound so far away.  Then she realizes she’s sweating and her hair is matted to her forehead.  She checks herself quickly.   _Pull yourself together Hill, it’s more mind games_.  

She proceeds down the hallway, still hearing the sound of explosions and distant gunfire.  The others must be trapped inside a nightmare, she figures.  She clears the master bedroom which looks hastily abandoned before moving onto the final bedroom.  Just as her hand touches the doorknob she hears Clint screaming over comms for back up right before there’s an explosion that shakes the entire floor, bringing dust down from the ceiling.  

“Barton?  Barton!  Come in!”  There’s nothing but static.  Taking a deep breath, Maria opens the door.  

It doesn’t make sense.  Inside is a small boy no older than eight who is asleep.  Everything in Maria’s mind comes to a halt.  Because, no, this can’t be it.  The subject is supposed to be someone toying with, manipulating, and torturing people’s dreams.  Someone who shows people wonders and their desires and then takes them away or subjects them to their deepest horrors.  Not this.  Not merely some child dreaming that been plaguing people and tormenting them.  

Maria’s about to- well she’s not sure what she’s about to do, when there’s a sound behind her.  Spinning around she sees Natasha, bleeding out from multiple gunshot wounds and a slash to the throat.  

“What now Commander?” she gurgles before sliding to the floor against the wall.  Maria rushes to the assassin’s side.  

“No no no no no no” whispers Maria as she cradles Natasha’s cheek in her hand, but the redhead is gone.  She checks the band on her wrist.  It reports that she is wide awake.  That this is not a dream.  

Edging back into the corner, away from Natasha’s body, Maria presses her fists to the sides of her head, her gun still clenched in one, her eyes squeezed shut and gritting her teeth.  She feels surrounded by the almost deafening sound of gunfire and smell of ash and dust.  Blood begins to trickle from her nose.  

Taking a look up at the bed, she sees the boy still in slumber.  The answer to all of this.  She aims, but at the last moment can’t go through with it and her bullet shatters the bedside lamp.  The boy gasps awake and turns to look at her, his small chest heaving in fear.  Maria meets his gaze despite her tears and lowers her gun.  

“It’s going to be okay now” she whispers.  

Suddenly there’s a rush of footsteps and Maria’s on her feet, positioning herself between the boy and the door.  She may have failed her team but she will not fail her mission.  She will keep this boy safe.  

But her legs nearly give out on her when when it’s Nat who bursts through the door frame with Clint on her six and bow at the ready.  

“Maria!  You okay?  You went quiet on comms” says Nat but Maria can’t find words so she just envelops Natasha in a fierce hug.  

“What’s going on?  Everything just….stopped” asks Clint.  And he’s right.  Maria can no longer smell the desert or hear explosions, what were probably memories of her first team.  Maria reluctantly lets a bewildered Natasha go and practically collapses on the edge of the bed.  

“What’s your name?” she asks gently, wiping at her sweat drenched forehead.  

“Cody” answers the boy.  He looks a mixture of ashamed and terrified so they quickly holster their weapons.  

“I was dreaming again” he says.  It’s more of a statement of fact that it is a question.  Maria nods.  

“And sometimes you have nightmares?” guesses Clint.  Cody nods.  

“This can’t be happening” mutters Natasha in disbelief to herself but Maria hears her and gives her a look.  If Cody’s nightmares meant they lived out their own nightmares, what had Natasha seen?  Maria’s hoping she’d gotten the worst of it because she was the closest to Cody but maybe that wasn’t the case.  What had Clint seen for that matter?  He looks pale and just as shaken as she imagines she looks herself.  

“So what do we do?” asks Natasha.  

“Where are your parents Cody?”  Cody merely shakes his head.  Maria figures they either abandoned him or were taken by the nightmares.  Maria takes off her wrist band and puts it on Cody’s wrist.  

“We take him back to SHIELD.  He’s one of ours now.”  The boy smiles at that, the prospect of having a home probably, and Maria does her best to smile back. Clint takes the boy’s hand and leads him out.  Natasha is just about to leave when Maria grasps her hand.  Nat gives her a questioning look over her shoulder.  

“Please?” begs Maria.  Natasha looks into her eyes for a moment before giving her hand a squeeze and leading her out.  


End file.
